This was a good reading month. I read 10 new books and reread 4 old favorites. I enjoyed many of my new books, especially the BOTM selections that I read.
New Reads:
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - This mystery had a unique setup, as you know from the beginning that someone ends up being killed, but you do not know who. So you are both trying to figure the whodunnit and the who-was-it-done-to. Secrets abound at this wedding. Every character has unexpected connections, and many of them are not good people. I did not like the ushers and their dangerous antics. My favorite character was probably Olivia, as I felt bad for her and her backstory. I also liked Hannah. I thought this was a quick read, though the mystery was a slow burn with a lot of learning secrets from the past.
2. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner - I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I thought this would be a light, fun summery read, but it also made me feel many things as well. This book showed a true love and care toward its characters. Drue was complicated, and not always a good person, but felt very human and real. I loved Daphne and her relationships with Darshi and Nick and her family. There was a mystery in this story starting 1/3-1/2 of the way through, but this story was ultimately about friendship, family, and love.
3. A Burning by Megha Majumdar - This was a good read overall, though sad. I felt bad for Jivan who did nothing wrong but was used as a scapegoat because the government thought she was a terrorist and the people wanted to see someone punished for it. This showed a complete lack of true justice. Then there was her former teacher, PT Sir, who sold out to a political party morally in exchange for power. He did some despicable things during this book. The final character was Lovely, who wanted to be an actress, and valued that goal over the truth. There were no happy endings to be found in this sad book.
4. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle - At its core, this story is a book about friendship and the love that is found there. There is some romance but it is secondary to the friendship, and is more about how people change when together over time. Dannie is pragmatic and meticulous and a hard-working lawyer. She knows how she expects life to go for her and has a clear plan laid out, but things happen that she does not expect. I loved the friendship between Dannie and Bella, even though there were many very sad parts due to what they went through together. This book developed the characters well and showed love for them.
5. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager - This is Riley Sager's 4th book, and I am not sure yet where it falls in my ranking of his books. It was definitely a good one though. The setup of the book was really interesting, alternating between Maggie in the present day and her dad's infamous book about their short time in Baneberry Hall. The setting was atmospheric, centering around an old house full of secrets, similar to his previous book, Lock Every Door, which centered in a hotel. The secrets held in this house were numerous. I liked Maggie as a character and didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Her relationships with her parents were complex, especially due to the fact that she thought they were lying to her for years.
6. The Last Flight by Julie Clark - This book was a thriller that was also an emotional and powerful read about two women in tough situations who just wanted out of them. I liked the setup of the story, with alternating perspectives between Claire in the present and Eva in the past. This kept the suspense high because I was learning about Eva's backstory and Claire's current issues. I felt for Claire's situation with her husband, Rory, and how much she wanted out. And while Eva's situation was slightly more a result of some decisions, I also felt for her circumstances growing up and how they had led to that point. And the last page twist was very surprising. I enjoyed reading about the relationships that these two women both had found with the people in their lives that really did care about them. This was a great book!
7. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London - This book was basically exactly the Bachelorette in book form, with all of the drama that the show includes. It was interesting to see how some situations were clearly set up by the producers for maximum drama, which makes sense since it is a reality TV show. I enjoyed getting to see the relationships, and I can say that the romance in this book worked out the way I wanted it to. There were several a couple of good guys though, as well as many not-so-good ones. Bea is an interesting main character as well, and I felt for her many times when people hurt her during the show.
8. 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand - This book is probably my favorite Hilderbrand so far. This was a beautiful and sometimes painful, unconventional love story. I loved Mallory and Jake, as well as the many peripheral characters in their lives. This story carries you through many years (28) of their lives, following triumphs, disappointments, and heartbreaks. The relationships are all complicated and human. I wished for there to be a different outcome, but this story was bittersweet.
9. One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus - This was a quick read dealing with some real issues between the characters. I cared about the three narrators - Maeve, Phoebe, and Knox - and their relationships with each other and other people. There were actually quite a few emotional scenes within this mystery. The mystery was intriguing as well, with an unexpected ending.
10. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware - I got this as an August 2019 BOTM selection and I finally got around to actually reading and finishing it this month. I had started it twice before, but it wasn't grabbing me at those times. Now I'm not sure why because this time I was invested in the book right away and finished it within a little over 24 hours. Something that this book does really well is building up an atmosphere and tension, making the reader see how Rowan felt at the Heatherbrae House. Ware drops tidbits about potentially shady things about the house that leave the reader suspicious about what could be going on there. It was an interesting read, and I felt for Rowan's struggles.
Rereads:
1. Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center - I still find this book to be a cute and great read. I love Cassie's character and her relationships, both romantic and otherwise.
2. The Holdout by Graham Moore - This is just a really great book, both times that I've read it. It's a fast paced legal thriller that also makes you care about the characters.
3. Last Will and Testament by Dahlia Adler - Something that I did not really remember from originally reading this book was how emotional of a story it was. This was a romance, but a lot of the story was about Lizzie's grief from losing her parents and juggling becoming a guardian to her brothers.
4. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus - I reread this one after reading the 2nd book in the companion series. I think I liked the 2nd one better, but this was still a good book.
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